Brief guide to manuscripts collections| William L. Clements Library The University of Michigan Laidley family Papers |
Papers, 1840-1861
360 items
John O. Laidley served as prosecuting attorney for Cabell County, and attended the Virginia Convention of 1829-30. A land owner in Guyandotte, W. Va., he fathered fifteen children. Two sons became farmers in Missouri and Kentucky, another attended Jefferson Medical College, and another, Theodore T. S. Laidley, attended West Point.
An ordnance specialist, Theodore rose to the rank of colonel after a long military career in which he was breveted during both the Mexican War and the Civil War. In the latter, he served as commanding officer at Frankford Arsenal and the Springfield Armory. His brother, W. Sydney Laidley, was a West Virginia attorney and historian and a law partner of his brother-in-law, George W. Summers. Elected to the U.S. Congress in 1841, Summers later became a circuit court judge and a member of the Peace Congress in 1861.
Correspondence of John Osborn Laidley (1791-1863), Theodore T.S. Laidley (1822-1886), George W. Summers (1804-1868), W. Sydney Laidley (b. 1839) and other Laidley family members of West Virginia.
Most of the collection consists of correspondence to John O. Laidley from his children and other relatives. Nearly one third of the letters are from Theodore regarding his education at West Point and military matters. A large group of letters from George Summers deals with legal and political affairs.
Purchase 1980
M-1898
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